School of Medicine

Preparing our students for these roles is one of the School’s vital missions—which span education, patient care and research—missions that are not only world-changing, but literally can be a matter of life and death. This means that we must train more primary care doctors, more specialists and more PAs, therapists, and allied health providers. There is a critical and growing shortage of health care professionals in much of New Mexico and throughout the nation, which means our state competes with all of the United States for providers.

Real Needs, Real Experience

The School’s commitment to programs and policies that serve the rural areas of our state is exemplified by its 14 consecutive years ranked as one of the top two rural medicine programs in America’s 126 medical schools. The School’s Family Medicine curriculum is also in the top 10, and the Primary Care curriculum ranks 33rd in the nation.

To better serve every corner of New Mexico, the School has created innovative ways to place more physicians in rural practice, including a combined BA/MD program. This effective program reaches out to diverse, talented high school seniors who are committed to practicing medicine in New Mexico, guaranteeing them a space in the medical school if their undergraduate performance matches their promise.

Now Is Your Moment

The list of vital needs in the School is as long as the list of people who pursue knowledge within and beyond its walls, but there are some common threads: support for student scholarships; endowed support for faculty; the creation of a vital new UNM Brain and Behavioral Illnesses Institute. The School’s vision for cutting-edge medical education in New Mexico is clear, and now is your moment to help power that vision.

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  Lives Changed: Dr. Jodi Casados

  Growing up in a tiny New Mexico town, Jodi Casados saw firsthand how difficult it was to get and keep a physician in an area where 12 small communities account for barely 3,000 people.

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